NOT SURPRISED

November 17, 2018

Anderson Verlin and Debbie

Things almost never turn out as we expect in Africa when planning meetings, but we are not surprised when the Lord works things out despite what appear to be many obstacles. He did that again this week during the Million Village Challenge. We were not surprised that:

▪ two CHE team members struggled with illness;

▪ our vehicle suffered damage that had to be repaired;

▪ many people carried out commitments to make the conference run smoothly, and some new friends volunteered to fill in gaps;

▪ attendees representing many diverse churches were convicted to strategically plan that the Gospel be shared with the unreached, unengaged people groups that exist in Cote d’Ivoire;

▪ our guests speakers hit home runs in casting vision, challenging the Church to engage in holistique ministry, addressing specific failures of the church in Africa, and inspiring the individuals who attended to believe they can be agents of transformation in this country;

▪ every major group of people who attended asked to choose dates when they could be trained in Community Health Evangelism in the near future to act upon the now-shared vision;

▪ the villages on the map of Cote d’Ivoire selected by the various groups who intend to begin outreach filled in some regions and areas where there are currently no CHE teams at work;

▪ the visit to the village beginning to implement CHE provided a relevant testimony of how the rural poor can use their local resources to see visible transformation in health, education, and people saved;

▪ the national CHE team spoke over an hour on reasons to rejoice in what went well, and about thirty minutes on things that need improvement for the next conferences they sponsor!

After we see our international guests safely to the airport on Sunday and Monday, we will drive in to final preparations for the upcoming Disciple Making Movement (DMM) conference in Bondoukou. We will not be surprised to find that many obstacles and joys surface as that gathering takes place as well. That is what happens when the Lord’s Kingdom advances!

PRAYER & PRAISE:

▪ From last week’s requests, the brochures did arrive in time for the conference and everyone made it safely to the gathering.

▪ We thank the Lord for the moments of casting vision and seeing Him speak.

▪ Pray for DMM week of training coming up on December 4-6 and for Jean Marc Fritsch as he makes final speaking preparations.